The Winter of Discontent is Upon Us
How will it affect the push and pull of the Working From Home argument?
And it is women who once again will be at the pointy end of the icicle!
Employed women are three times more likely to be the main caregiver to their children.
Remote working has been a blessing and a curse for women. For many mothers it has allowed them the flexibility of spending time with their children and also allowed them to reduce childcare costs.
Conversely, working from home as a woman has proved to be an additional gender disadvantage. Being away from the office environment has resulted in reduced chances of advancement and perpetuated misogynistic archaic views on the ‘woman’s role’ – taking full responsibility of household chores and childcare whilst still continuing with a career!
A McKinsey report stated 79% of men have said their working from home experience has been positive, compared to 37% of women.
In a study of 1000 employees, earlier this year, it was shown 68% of women had suffered burnout compared to 38% of men.
In a separate analysis, working mothers were shown to be 28% more likely to experience burnout. It also estimated 2.5 million more cases of working mothers are experiencing this due to disproportionate childcare responsibilities.
Households now have the dilemma of the ‘cost of living crisis’ and a world recession looming!
Here in the UK, energy bills rose by 54% in April and are due to increase by a further 80% in October – with the average family paying around £3554 ($4200) per year. For comparison annual energy bills were an average of £575 in 2021.
So, how will winter affect women?
Women who work remotely, have to choose between being able to pay for childcare and office commute, with working from home and being able to pay for heating costs.
Additionally, colder environments have a more detrimental effect on women’s productivity compared to men.
Scientific research shows, women’s cognitive abilities suffer when they are cold.
Women’s performance in mathematical problems was shown to improve by 1.76% for every 1.8 degree increase in temperature between 61 – 91 degrees Fahrenheit.
Office temperature of 70 degrees being the norm was calculated using a 1960s formula tied to men’s metabolism.
So, if a woman has no choice other than work from home in a cold room, this is likely to impact the quality of her work.
The questions organizations need to consider:
Will there be a seasonal return to the office and how will it be managed?
The leadership approach which will be required to maintain productivity and motivation when people have returned to the office due to an untenable situation which is out of their control?
The type of support employees really need?
Calculating the impact of potential employee packages (childcare/heating) against loss in productivity and revenue due to errors, sickness and/or further employee resignations.
Big questions which require thought, ahead of the crisis
….. and another addition to today’s challenges. Discover more about the challenges we face today, and how to address them in our free webinar